The 5 day japa meditation retreat with His Holiness Sacinandana Swami last week was a great success with over 150 participants from all over Europe.

There were 3 interactive sessions each day, with lectures, discussions, group work, and practical sessions. This combination of theory and practice made for a dynamic program that really helped the participants go deeper into their personal meditation. There was also plenty of time in between the sessions for everyone to discuss how things were going and to practice what they learned from the course.

Classes were also held in the morning and in the evenings so that many from the Radhadesh community could take part.

The evening programs were especially sweet and relaxed with dramatic readings of Lord Krishna’s pastimes and beautiful melodic kirtan. We were very fortunate to have some accomplished musicians present playing the violin, flute, and sitar.

These, when combined with our usual devotional instruments (drums, hand cymbals, and harmonium), created an enchanting atmosphere redolent with the mood of India.

On the penultimate day everyone had a go at practicing the fine art of mauna (spiritual silence) in order to have more time during the day for meditation. Many on this day managed to reach the goal of 64 rounds of japa meditation, which takes about 8 hours in total.

It was such an amazing experience to spend such a long time in one day chanting. Once I decided that I was going to do it I was surprised and pleased to find it wasn’t all that hard! It was really a wonderful day. Radhika Dasi

In the evening after the long meditation day, everyone gathered together and Sacinandana Swami treated us to a fascinating slideshow. With the lights dimmed, seeing the beautiful pictures, and listening to the haunting strains of the sitar, it felt as though we were transported to the holy land of Vrindavan.

The final day was taken up with a harinam procession in the city of Luxembourg. It was a beautiful sunny day to be out singing in the city and was a very colorful festival. The final session that evening, once everyone had returned, went on till almost midnight – everyone wanted to stay for as long as they could.

We were very happy to receive Sacinandana Swami here and were also very sad to see him go. We sincerely hope that he will return next year to hold another retreat!